Mystery! Don't know what's going on...

Hi I'm a 44-year old female and I had a bad bout with sore throat about five weeks ago. It turned into tonsillitis and I was put on steroids and antibiotics. The infection got better within a week but I STILL have swollen lymph notes and feel like someone is holding their hands around my throat and is trying to choke me. This is such a strange feeling and I wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep.

And when I talk too much my throat starts to hurt again, not like a cold but a sharp stabbing pain as if someone is poking a knife at my tonsils.

Why do I always get these weird things happening to me? Why can't I have a normal sore throat like normal people and just take a bunch of drugs and get better? Everything feels like a puzzle right now and I'm feeling really depressed.

Thank you, Cathy! Yes, been on two rounds of antibiotics already and been to 3 different ENT doctors who all looked in my throat and said it looks normal. That's the mystery, the doctors saying everything looks all right but I'm still not better!

Wow, has anyone stuck a camera down your throat yet? (Actually I think it's via the nose in the office bad they spra a numbing stuff ) Done any blood work up on you? When you say it starts hurting after talking a while does it feel strained, do you feel kinda horse?

What other symptoms do you have? I imagine you're waking at night it from mouth breathing. Any coughing? Clearing of throat? Nausea?

Yes, the latest ENT did the camera "trick" (had to spray something numbing first) and said the tonsils and my throat looked okay. Mostly my voice feels 'pinched' like something is strangling the vocal chords. I think you may be right about mouth breathing, and I do have a lot of acid problems! No nausea or coughing...Clearing of throat, yes. Just getting very nervous and tossing around possibilities in my head of what else this could be caused by!

Thanks so much for the advice and kind words, Cathy - really appreciate your insight! I'm taking Prevacid 2x daily, was 1x day before and now have increased the dosage. Going back to my doctor tomorrow to see what he thinks! My tonsillitis had turned into peritonsillar abscess a month ago and it was the worst pain I'd ever had!